Unified Cloud for Higher Education

Possibilities and challenges

As cloud computing becomes the new normal for IT, institutions increasingly rely on it to improve infrastructure efficiency, lower operating costs, and reach more students in exciting new ways. By transforming how content is created and delivered, cloud computing has transformed the entire learning process – and the innovation is just beginning.

While cloud benefits are unmistakably clear, maximizing those advantages is more challenging. Optimizing infrastructure for the cloud requires thoughtful planning, careful integration of legacy resources and a focus on important issues of security, manageability, and empowering access across a wide range of networks, users, and devices. Most importantly, there is no one size fits all approach.

Transformational technology

While cloud computing is a new concept, it’s built on transformational technical ideas that have been at work for a long time. By extending traditional virtualization to include the delivery of everything from processing power and storage to application design and delivery, the cloud enables the granular, real-time matching of need and resources IT needs to deliver services at maximum efficiency – all while using and supporting less hardware.

Cloud computing also simplifies and strengthens how users and data are managed and secured. While security is often cited as a risk to cloud computing, it actually expands the ability to manage user and device access while maintaining security by moving simple user authentication to granular policy-based security around applications, users, and devices.

Consistently customized user experience

The same cloud intelligence that secures critical systems and data also delivers a superb 24/7 user experience – any user, any location, any device. Relying on thin clients and web browsers, the cloud offers responsive application delivery that is instantly customized per connection. This guarantees students and teachers get access to the resources they need, and that access is optimized for the best possible results – without compromising efficiency or security.

It’s not just about learning – the cloud also gives teachers and administrators new tools as well. Important applications can be developed inside the cloud for a fraction of the cost of traditional development. Universal access to important resources also helps faculty be more responsive to student needs and increases their ability to interact, engage, and inspire.

Cloud ready, Lenovo strong

Any migration to the cloud starts with the right technology. As the leading PC maker in the education sector worldwide, Lenovo is committed to delivering products and services you can trust – and we look forward to putting our experience and insight to work on your behalf. Our innovative cloud platform suite can enable new cloud solutions or unify existing cloud investments – it’s all about building the right cloud for the job.

Our cloud expertise doesn’t end there. Even as cloud computing requires less hardware, it can also require more of your existing infrastructure. From rugged and reliable cloud-ready laptops, desktops and mobile devices to some of the world’s fastest and most efficient servers, Lenovo is ready for the challenge.